(HealthDay News) – In children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions, medication non-adherence is associated with greater health care use, including more hospitalizations and visits to the emergency department, according to a study published online Sept. 2 in Pediatrics.
Meghan E. McGrady, PhD, and Kevin A. Hommel, PhD, from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, identified and reviewed 10 studies that examined the association between medication non-adherence and health care use or cost in children and adolescents with a chronic medical condition.
The researchers found that 90% of studies noted an association between medication non-adherence and greater health care use. The directionality depended on the outcome of interest, with non-adherence associated with more hospitalizations and visits to the emergency department, but fewer outpatient visits.
“Medication non-adherence is related to increased health care use in children and adolescents who have a chronic medical condition and should be addressed in clinical care,” McGrady and Hommel conclude.
